"Alas... alright, alright, alright... it's good that you could come. I originally thought you wouldn't."
Feng Yuanping, with tears in his eyes, agreed. Whether Feng Jin's calling him 'Father' was sincere or not, he was incredibly happy.
It had been over ten years. This was the first time his daughter had called him Father. How could he not be happy and excited?
"You must be tired from the carriage ride. Hurry and sit down to rest, have a cup of tea to moisten your throat. If you're hungry, have some snacks first... If they're not to your liking, I'll have the kitchen cook a few dishes you like..."
Feng Yuanping hovered around Feng Jin, showering her with solicitous greetings, asking about every minute detail, afraid of overlooking anything.
He treated her as if she were a precious treasure, afraid to drop her if he held her, afraid she'd melt if he held her in his mouth.
"There's no need for such fuss. I am perfectly fine. I've only come to offer incense to Auntie Sun."
Feng Jin felt completely uncomfortable, especially with Feng Yuanping constantly milling around her, droning on incessantly. Her ears were about to go numb from his nagging.
"Alright... I'll do as you say," Feng Yuanping replied, complying with Feng Jin's wishes, truly humbled to the extreme.
Yet, the more he acted this way, the less pity Feng Jin showed him. She felt he was merely reaping what he had sown.
He didn't cherish her when she was alive, but now he was acting regretful and putting on a show. It was far too late for regrets, and who was he doing it for?
Feng Jin watched the actions of those around her, memorizing them without error, and began to imitate them. As she picked up a stick of incense, Feng Ruoyan suddenly snatched it away and threw it to the ground.
"Leave. My mother doesn't want to see you. Get out... Get out..."
Feng Ruoyan screamed hysterically and reached out to shove Feng Jin. However, Feng Yuanping, standing behind her, grabbed her wrist and yanked her away with great force, flinging Feng Ruoyan aside.
With her already weak body, she couldn't withstand Feng Yuanping's full-force shove. Feng Ruoyan lost her footing and fell directly to the ground.
"Father... you..."
Coming to her senses, Feng Ruoyan looked incredulously at the tall man before her. This was the first time her father had ever laid hands on her since she could remember. Did he already know...?
No... impossible...
Mother had only told her about it. Father absolutely couldn't know. Then why would Father defend Feng Jin? Hadn't he detested Feng Jin greatly before, even severing their father-daughter relationship?
Everything that was happening was too abnormal, making Feng Ruoyan's already worried heart even more fearful. She dared not imagine what would happen if her father knew she wasn't his biological daughter – would he cast her out of the family and disown her forever?
But she still needed to rely on the identity of the Prime Minister's daughter to gain a firm footing in the Third Prince's mansion. This identity was the greatest help to her becoming Empress. She had to find ways to appease her father.
"Father, why did you push me for her? Father..."
'Slap!' A crisp sound of a slap echoed in the room.
Feng Ruoyan felt a burning pain on her right cheek. She hadn't even reacted, her eyes glazed over as she looked at Feng Yuanping. Her father had just hit her.
Having never suffered such humiliation, Feng Ruoyan's nose stung, and her eyes overflowed with tears.
"Father, you actually hit me? You hit me for her? My mother's corpse is barely cold, and you slap me before her memorial tablet. Do you want her to have no peace in the afterlife? Father, are you treating Mother fairly like this!"
Feng Yuanping suppressed the anger in his heart. If it weren't for preserving his reputation, why would he have brought Madam Sun back to the mansion for burial, and why had he tolerated Feng Ruoyan?
"Enough! Shut up! If you want to stay here, stay. If you don't want to, leave quickly!"
"Father..."
Feng Ruoyan called out weakly. Why would her father treat her like this? Could it be that he already knew?
To avoid a complete rupture for now, Feng Ruoyan conceded: "Father, it was my daughter's impulsiveness just now. Mother's tragic death..."
"Stop saying such useless things. Go and keep vigil for your mother."
Not wanting to listen to Feng Ruoyan playing the emotional card any longer, Feng Yuanping found an excuse to send her away.
"Yes... Father..."
Feng Ruoyan suppressed her anger, shot a fierce glare at Feng Jin from the corner of her eye, and turned to leave.
"Young Madam, you shouldn't have saved her then. She's like a snake. Young Madam saved her life, and she's already so impatient to bite Young Madam back."
Chu Qing couldn't bear to watch any longer. How could anyone be so shameless in this world? Young Madam had just saved her life, and now she was biting back.
It would have been better not to save her in the first place, to have let her die, thus ridding the world of a scourge.
"When I saved her, I already expected this. The reason I saved her is because she is still useful to us. There's no need to care about these trivial matters. Anyway, she won't live much longer."
Why should she care so much about someone who was about to die? Seeing Feng Ruoyan so enraged now proved that the trick she had played back then had now yielded results.
The more frantic and irritable a person becomes, the more likely they are to do something outrageous. The more this happens, the less the Third Prince will be able to handle it, and the time for chaos in the Third Prince's mansion will not be far off.
"Alright, hurry and offer your incense. We'll sit over there for a while and leave as soon as we've eaten."
Feng Jin couldn't bear to stay another minute in this place; it felt dirty to her feet. Feng Jin moved away and left.
Seeing this, Ling Muzhu offered her incense early and quickly followed Feng Jin's steps.
"Eldest Sister-in-law, how much longer do we have to stay? My back is getting sore."
"It should be soon."
Feng Jin yawned. She was also very sleepy. If this dragged on any longer, she would really find an excuse to leave.
After a full half an hour, Madam Sun's coffin was carried away. Feng Ruoyan followed the coffin, crying profusely, and even almost fainted.
By the time the Third Prince arrived in a hurry, Madam Sun's coffin had already been interred. He merely exchanged a few polite words with Feng Yuanping before taking Feng Ruoyan away.
"The main characters have left, so there's no need for us to linger. Let's go."
Feng Jin lazily stood up, stretched, her waist truly aching from sitting for so long.
As soon as she heard about going home, Ling Muzhu's spirits instantly lifted. She changed her listless demeanor from earlier, quickly stood up, and hurried away.
"Miss, where did she go?"
After dealing with the guests outside, Feng Yuanping hurried to find Feng Jin. He scanned the surroundings a few times but couldn't find Feng Jin, so he asked the butler standing nearby.
"This old servant saw Miss leave. This old servant dared not step forward to stop her."